Gooners will always hold a special place in their hearts for Highbury. As beautiful as the Emirates is – the art deco facade of Arsenal’s old stadium was stylishly eye-catching, and placed it in a class of its own. Arsenal Stadium (its proper name) was built in 1913. In the 1930’s the site was redeveloped and the outstanding Art Deco East and West stands produced. Architects Claude Waterlow Ferrier and William Binnie were responsible for these splendid designs.

Brothers Robert and Gavin Paisley decided that they had had enough of developing back-office systems software. They wanted to be more creative – make something with their hands – and thus a highly successful architectural-model-building business was born. With a meticulous eye for detail, and using traditional plaster (chisel) and modern CAD (mouse) techniques – they have made sculptural replicas of many famous buildings and landmarks.

Putting finishing touches to a Highbury sculpture

Each of their architectural sculptures is handmade in their studio in Sussex, England, on the edge of the Ashdown forest. They are made of strong plaster that has a reassuring weight and smooth, cool feel. The window frames and door are made of etched brass. Stylish ornaments, gifts or presents that are handmade in Britain and look fabulous on a desk, shelf or wall.

I used photos of their Arsenal Stadium model to create the branding for The Highbury Library (see below) and decided to contact the brothers to see if I could help promote sales of their magnificent work in return…

(Arsenal’s ONLY click-bait and noise-free aggregator!)

I was blown away by their response! They offered to send me two sculptures – one for my mantelpiece and another to be offered as a competition prize. Extremely generous of them! Not only that – but they offered Gunners Town readers a 15% discount on their Arsenal Stadium models.

Whilst I was visiting London (from South Africa) for the Red Star Belgrade home game, my sculpture arrived in its FedEx box; the first thing that struck me was its weight. This was no flimsy plaster-cast model. And once I had opened it and removed it from its packaging, I fell in love with it. It was – in a word- breathtaking. My photos below:

Simply magnificent

Standing 25cm high and weighing in at 2.2kg – the sculpture was bigger and more solid than I had imagined. The perfectly-chiseled lines in the white plaster and the sharp metal etchings created a delicate symphony of subtle greys – shadow and light. It was clear that this was the work of master craftsmen. Their attention to detail was astounding.

Shadows and light

Whether free-standing on a mantelpiece or table, or mounted on a wall – the sculpture is an eye-catching conversation piece. All the Gooners I showed it to were struck by its elegance and beauty. I was sorely tempted to carry it home with me to South Africa – but I figured that Chisel & Mouse, and this beautiful work of art, would get more attention if it was put in a place where discerning Arsenal fans gather – week in, week out.

What better place then, than The Tollington, where owners Martin and Louise already support Gooner authors such as our very own Dave Seager and Arseblog, with signed books available over the counter.

Having already gifted The Tollington a beautiful clock replica from SheWore, I decided to donate my Highbury facade to my home away from home in London. Needless to say, the owners were more than happy to add it to their growing collection of Arsenal memorabilia:

If you’re in the Tollington, be sure to have a look at the sculpture

Each piece is signed and numbered, making it a collector’s piece. I have no doubt that it would bring joy to every Gooner household. It is a unique, classy gift and I would strongly urge you to check out the Chisel & Mouse website, and these Highbury replicas in particular.

Signed and numbered, felt back, with wall mounting hole

Pieces are made to order, and delivered free within 5 working days. Gift card and wrapping offered for a small fee.

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About Batmandela

Zimbabwe-born Batmandela recently returned to South Africa after a 16-year stint in Hollywood, where he plied his trade as a film and TV composer. He adopted Arsenal in the mid-80′s, and if it doesn’t start behaving soon he’s going to send it to boarding school. Prone to seeing the world slightly askance, Batmandela blogged about Arsenal for a stint at invinciblog.com.
As an ardent Gunner propagandist – he has contributed a number of tongue-in-cheeky images to the Goonerverse – one of which is bound to get him into trouble at some point. He will be pushing pixels for Gunners Town in an irregular column called “Eye Of The Bat”.
Bats also spends an inordinate amount of time tweaking websites, and trying to make them behave in ways that weren’t intended. Such as this one.
Follow @invinciblogFollow @GunnersTown